Hydraulic turbine.



A. B. WOOD. HYDRAULIC TURBINEl APPLICATION FILED 113.10. 1912.

Patented Mar. 11 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEETI.

gnmMtO/a A. B.v WUOD.

HYDRAULIC TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED 113.10, 1912.

Patented' Mar. 11, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. B. WOOD. HYDRAULIC TURBINB; APELIOATION FILED IBB. 10; 1912.

1,055,588.' Ptend Mar. 11,191;l

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

.ALBERT BALDWIN Woon, or NEW oRLEANs, LOUISIANA.

HYDRALIC TURBINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February-10, 1912. Serial No. 676,819.

My invention has reference to hydraulic turbines and consists of certain improvements which are fully set forth` in the followingspeciication and shown" in the accompanying drawings which` form a part thereof.

My improvements are more particularly designed ,for purposes of ,pumping wat-er, but may be employed, Without material change in structure, a'hydraulic turbine for providing motive power. I therefore, do not restrict myself to theuse to which my invention may be applied, although in most cases it will be utilized as a hydraulic pump.

The object of my invent-ion is to provide a construction in a turbine or rotarywscrew pumpvwhich shall be especially adapted for) handling large quantities of Water at relatively loW heads and which, moreover, shall be positive in action at various speeds with capacity for moving the water with a minimum slip. The general t-ype of pump may be`designated as one having axial flo-W and hence, in its use for pumping water, may be called an'axial flow pump in the class of hydraulic turbines. y

My object is further to pro-vide a construction which shall develop very high eflicieney and capable of retaining saidefliciency when being driven at relatively high speeds; thereby reducing the cost of the engine or mot-or required to drive Athe turbine or Pump' My invention embodies in its construction a body having a tubular passage terminating in inlet andoutlet portions and also having intermediate portions divided inte annular passages in aliiieinent adjacent tt each other, one of'l said annular passages being in communication with the tubular passage on the inlet side and the other inV communication with the tubular passage on the ou/tlet side; combined with a rotor o-r 'runner having iinpelling blades or vanes I o f .special construction fully specified hereinafter; further in the said -construction when the annularpassage throughtlie run` ucr tapers in longitudinal section but has the saine or approximately the same cross sectional area. throughout its length; and

Patented nar. 11,1913.

further, in more specific form, having the` runner located in one of the annular passages coiiiprising a drum having a plurality of vanes or blades of a construction for cutting into the body of water under axial flow in the inlet passage with the least possible disturbanceV and propelling the water, so sliced oif the inflowing body, toward the, other annular passage and at the same time imparting to it a rotary motion about the axis of the turbine or pump, and said other I annular passage provided with a plurality of stationary diffusion vaiies or blades for changing the direction o-f flow of the water from a rotary movement into an axial flow movement, the (construction being such that the body of water is moved in a direction axially of thepuinp and during such passage has its direction of flow changed into a rotary one and then back again into an axialow during the continued transfer of the waterfrom the inlet to the out-let sides of the pump. My improvements thus generally referred to in respect to their utilization as a pump, are equally capable of use as a. turbine engine orA prime-mover where the head of water available is suficient for the purpose and I, therefore, do not restrict `myself to the utilization of my invention for pumping purposes alone.

My invention also coinpreliends details of construction which, together with the features above speciied, will be better understood by reference to the drawings,- in which Figure l is a sectional side elevation of a hydraulic turbine embodying niy improvements; Fig. 2 is a cross section of the saine on line @1 -ir; Fig.v 3 is a plan view of the runner or driven part of the tui-bine with a portion broken away; Fig. 4 is a side view,l partly in section, showing the blades thereof; Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion ofthe '1 diffusion blades and connections; Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating one of the runner blades and diagrmnmatically illustrating its shape; Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation showing the arrangement of tlie runner and adjacent parts in another forni of iny-invention; and- Fig. 8 is a similarv view of a similarl construction to Fig. 7 but with the employment of the stationary diffusion blades.

llO

Figs. 1 to 6 illustrate the construct-ion of my pump or turbine in that particular form in which there are bot-h runner blades and diffusion blades in the annular part of the body, the construction in Fig. 8 also illustrates a somewhat similar form employing bot-h runner and diffusion blades but in which the water passage through'lhe runner is tapered with preferably a uniform cross sectional area, and the construction illustrated in Fig. 7, while approximating that shown in Fig. 8, has no diffusion blades, the blades of the runner being the only lades employed in the device.

l will now refer to the specific construction shown in Figs. 1 to 6. 2 is a tubular passage constituting -the inlet end of the pump, and 3 is a tubular passage constituting the'outlet end of the pump, and these passages 2 and 3 are united by annular passages formed within an annular body part 4 arranged between the elbows or inlet and outlet portions. The interior walls ofthis intermediate body portion 4 comprises a conical wall 5 at the inlet side, a conical wall 6 on the interior at the outlet or discharge side, a cylindrical wall 8 adjacent to the conical wall 6, and a clearance space 7 l. formed by an annular channel intermediate of the conical wall 5 and the cylindrical wall 8. The b ody part is preferably formed in two semiclrcular`v portions bolted together, as

shown, so as to permit of easy access into the interior and for the necessity of properly assemblin the parts. Each of the elbow pol'- tions W ich provides the passages 2 and 3 is furnished with journals 9 1n which are litt-ed stationary tubular partsv 10 forming tunnels through which the rotor shaft 13 extends. lVithm the journals 9 suitable bearings 9 are Vprovided in which the shaft rotates and by which it is held clear of the tubes 10.

One end of the shaft is provided with a e014' lar 14 which is confined wit-hin a thrust bearing 15;J by which the shaft is held against longitudinal movement. This thrust bearing is substantially liquid tight and the other bearing is provided with a stuffing box 15ar which prevents the escape of Water around the shaft at the discharge end of the pump. The shaft may be provided Wit-h a belt pulle 24 by which it may be driven, or the said s aft may be directly rotated by an engine or other means. Secured upon the inner end of the tube 10 on the inlet end of the pump is a guide cone 11, and likewise on the Inner end of the tube 10=on the outlet side is another guide cone 12, the large ends of said cones being directed toward each other and separated a distance equal to the' thickness o1 the runner 'drum 16 which is securely keyed to the`rotor shaft 13. The conical surface of the guide cone 11 is arranged within the eonlcal part 5 of the body portion 4 and thereby forms a conical passage 14 between the rotor and the inlet 2 ofthe vpump through which the water is directed to the.

rotor; and similarly, the conical surface of the guide cone 12 is within the conical surface 6 of the body portion 4 to form the tapered annular passage 23 for the delivery of the water from the diffusion blades into the discharge or outlet end of the pump. The guide cone 12 is lfurthermore provided wltn a cylindrical portion adjacent to the runner, upon which isy sleeved the hub ring 22 carrying the diusion blades 21, said' diffusion blades being surrounded by a shroud ring 22a which fits into the cylindrical portion 8 of the bod part. In this manner, thediffusion bla es are properly positioned within the annular passa-ge of the pump. These diffusion blades may be of any suitable construction, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, and if desired, may be reinforced by one or more annular bracing or shroud rings 22", -If desired, the diffusion blades may be omitted and the shroud rings 22" maybe employed as ides. They would be suitably supported 1n alinement with the corresponding shroud rings 17 a of the rotator or rotor. The runner drum' 16 is provided about its circumference with the rotor blades or vanes 18, said blades being rigid with the-drum on their inner edges and preferably confined at their outer edges with a lshroud ring 1T, which latter fits into the clearance space 7 of the body-l. This shroud ring is preferably somewhat longer in adirection Jarallel with the axis of the rotor than the ilepth of the blades 18, so that the discharge ends 20 of these blades do not come into close contact l required of the pump and where the bladesv or vanes are particularly wide in a radial direction, as they provide. great stifening effect to the bladesa The additional shroud or bracing rings 171 and 22b not only assist in strength, but also increase the efficiency' of the pump by guiding thewater in approximately an axial direction in separate bodies, while being acted upon by the blades, there being in this case two or more bodies of Water acted upon by each blade.

The rotor blades in my improved pump have a specialconstruction which I have found commercially very effect-ive and advantageous, and while there are general of the shaft,

characteristics to this form of blade, the angles which the cutting and discharge ends make to the plane of rotation will vary with each pump according to the duty it is to perform and under the conditions which it is to operate. The general configuration of the rotor blades will be understood from Figs. 3, 4 and 6. By eXa-mining'F ig. 4, it will be seen that the advancing edge 19 forms an acute angle with the plane of rotation, whereas the discharge end forms a much more obtuse angle with said plane of rotation, the .e'ect of which is to cut into the' annular body of water` being delivered to the rotor blades by the annular tapered passage 14 and to deliver the said water, so sliced off, from t-he discharge ends of the blades in such a manner as to cause it to assume a. direction of travel more approximating the axial line of the pump, but at the' same time to be given a. rot-ary motion Within the space 25 so that t-he said body of water is forced across the forward edges of the diffusion blades 21, and being caught by them, is passed forward and into afpositive axial flow through the annular expanding passage 23. In Fig. 4, the outer shroud ring is cut away to illustrate the outer edges of the diffusion blades. The innermost edges of the diffusion blades are indicated by dotted lines, and the intermediate juncture of said blades with the strengthening bracing rings 17a is indicated in solid lines. In the particular pump from which t-he present drawings are taken, the acute angle at the forward edge of the roto-1' blade is 161',o with the plane of rotation of the runner adjacent to the hub 16, while the acute angle adjacent to the shroud ring 17 is 115; and these angles along the inner and outer boundaries of the blades graduallyincrease respectively from'16o to 66%o and from 11%0 to 25.119; but these angles, as before stated, are peculiar to this particular pump to suit the particular duty which it is to perform and the speed under which it is to operate, and I therefore do not confine myself in any manner to these specific angles. The angles may be generally dened by stating that the angle between the surface of vanes at any polnt and a plane perpendicular to the shaft at that point changes radial distance of the point from the center decreasing in proportion to the distance, but also increases as the point is moved in a direction parallel tothe shaft from the entering-edge to the Adischarge edge. This peculiar' configuration produces a form of blade which will be understood by reference to Figs. 3 and 6, in which we have the entering edge 19 of the smaller angle and the discliarge edge 20 withthe larger angle' and also in which, owing to the greater rate of increase of the angle adjacent to the drum .16 than adjacent to the shroud ring 17, the

' in Fig, 7,

of the diffusion blades with the rotor conical the inlet lside of the not only with' thel discharge edge 20. assumes an oblique angle all cases, though the chord line t-t will vary according to Ithe size, shapeand duty ofthe rotor, and also upon the general width and depth of the space between the drum and shroud ring which isto be occupied by' the blades themselves. The more acute angle upon the inner edge of the blade adjacent to the drum16 than that adjacent t-o the shroud ring is not only required because entering edge 19V of the blade,

of the fact that the surface speed adjacent to the drum is less than'that adjacent to the shroud ring, but also to insure the same de- -livery of water adjacent lto the hub as adjacent to the shroud ring. In general, the larger the diameter of the rotor, the greater will be the chord line t-t,f and likewise, the smaller the diameter ofthe drum relatively to the diameter 'of the shroud ring, the shorter will be the chord line t-t.

Referring now to the construct-ion shown I have in this case shown the use in shape, the hub 16 thereof having a conical periphery which may, if desired, approximate the taper of the cone guide'll, and having its shroud ring 17 also conical and approximatingthe interior wall 5 body part 4, so that the annular passage 14 within the pump body and the annular passage between the hub and shroud ring of the rotor lform together a tapering annular conical passageway, providing a free annular "tapered passage for the water from and to the annular charge side. In this construction, under the most approved design of my invention, the

taper of the water passage through the rotor, is'such that the cross sectional area is ap.

proximately the same at the inlet and outlet ends and preferably throughout the whole length of the passage from the suction to the discharge side, and moreover, this same uniformity of cross sectional area may, if desired, be continued through the annular passage 14 leading to the roto-r (as more accurately indicated in Fig. 8), dent that by this construction, the velocity of movement of the body of water is not affected by the area of the passage land hence any effect by the rotor blades'is utilized Wholly in the displacement of the Water which produces the velocity thatdetermines the capacity of the pump. n

. In the construction shown in Fig. 8, I

of the.

pump through therotor passage 23 of thel dis-'/7 upon the annular body of water it being evif .of-the rotor under the initial pressure.

obtuse angle,

have embodied thesame general structure of Fig. 7, and have also shown the diffusion blades 21 arranged at the dischargel side of the rotor blades 18 as in the'case of Fig. 1. .I have also ,shown the rotor without any shroud'ring 17, the outer edges 17'J1 of the blades" making a reasonably close tit to the inner conical wall of the ybody 4. There is some vadvantage in this omission of the shroud ring, in that the friction of the water against the stationary surface of 'the body will tend t-o reduce the freedom of rotation of the body of water when acted upon by the rotor, and hence will cause a more positive propulsion of the same toward the diffusion blades of the discharge side-of the pump. The objection, however, to this omission of the shroud ring is in the weakening of the rotor blades, but the width of these blades in a given capacity of pump may be reduced by increasing the diaineter of the rotor and in that way maintaining the strength required without the necessity of the shroud ring. For small diameters in which the width of the blade must be materially great, the shr ud ring construction is preferable to insurdhe requisite strength.

From the foregoing description of Figs. land 8,.it will l,be seen Athatthc body of water passes 'from the inlet side 2 axially toward the rotor under whatever head may be available to .insure the delivery of the water`4 tothe rotor, and as it approaches the rotor it passes about the conical guide and takes an annular forml and in which condition it is supplied to the blades or variesF 18 he rotor being rapidly driven by theshaft 13, causes the forward edges of the blades to cutl into the annular body of water delivered to them, the angle of the cut being an acute angle, and in the example-shown of approximately 11% degrees to the plane of rotation, thereby as it were, slicing off the water, andby the inclined plane of action of the blades, causing it to be moved forward and at the same time given a rotary motion, this latter being especially due to the fact that the rotor blades at their discharge ends assume an and in the example shown, of approximately 2551- degrees to the plane of rotation. The body of water which vis thus supplied to the rapidly rotating rotor blades 18 is being divided into /a plurality lof streamsfeach of which is acted upon by one of the blades and; propelled forward toward the stationary or diffusion blades 21, and at the same time given a rotaryinotion in the plane of rotation lof the rotor; and these streams of water produced by the rotating rotor leaveVV the discharge en'd of the rotor blades in substantially*` a direction of flow which would ybe more or less parallel to the axis of the rotor, and hence may be considered as an axial flow supplemented 4by l the rot ary side of the diffusion charge side of guided by lvery great. `where large volumes of water at relatively to be pumped, the diffusion lbe more desirable that the diffusion movement in an annular direction about the axis. By the combined 'action of these two direct-ions of flow of the Water sorsput in motion by the runner, said water is caused to be delivered to the inlet shroud and received upon the advance edges of the di'usion blades 21 thereof, which blades being Stationary and inclined in the opposite ,direction to the angle of the rotor blades, in turn slice oit the moving water and cause it to flow forward between the blades and change its direction of-movement from one of rotary motion to substantially rectilinear mo tion to constitute an axial flow at the disthe pump. The flow at the soy discharge side of the diffusion blades being the annular passage by the conicalguide and the contracting body of tli'e pump structure, changes from an annular body of water into a solid body during its discharge passage through pump.

Thetendency to cause the` water to rotate in the annular passage yby the action of the rotor would largely depend upon the speedT of the rotor and the differential pressure on the inlet and, outlet ends of the' pump. Wherethe flow is rapid and the difference in the head of water at the inlet and' outlet is relatively `small,t.he impelling action of the rotor blades will produce less rotation relative to the axial flow than would be the case where the difference in the heads was It is therefore evident that small dierences in heads or pressure are blades may be omitted, butin those cases Vwhere the pump is required to deliver the 'water against a considerable pressure, it is more desirable that the diffusion blades be employed in 'conjunction' with the rotor.

. I have described my invention more Vparticularly iii respect to its utilization as a pump, but it-is evident that.- it Amay be equally employed ,as a-turbin'e for generatin'g power by simplyreversin-g the direc' tion of flow throughv it.` l'Whenemploying it as a .power producing'turbine, ,it woul 21 be employed.

- The illustrations forming part of this specifica-tion. are given by way of example and not as restrictions with respect to design or the minor details of the structure, audit is also evident that while I have shown the apparatus withl a `horizontal shaft, the po,- sition of the shaft is not confined to siicli .horizontal arrangement, but that instead,

the pump or turbine may be arranged in ang suitable position found desirable.

While I have shown my invention in the form which I have adopted in commercial practice, I dol not restrict myself to the de\ 23 formed thev v iio blades j tails as these may be modied in "various Ways Without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

Having non' described my invention, what I claim as new and ters Patent, is

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a vtubular body through which Huid may pass said body having an annular passage in the direction of its length intermediate of its inlet and outlet. ends, a rotor or runner comprising a drum having curved impelling blades extending radially about it and arranged in the annular passage so as to act upon or be acted upon by the fluid, a shaft supporting the said rotor or runner and extending throughout and tovthe o-utside of the body, cone-shaped guides arranged upon each side of the rotor or runner drum with their apices respectively directed toward the inlet and outlet portions of the tubular body and providing annular tapered conical passages leading to and from the annular` passage in which the blades of the\rotor or runner are located, said cone-shaped guides being out of contact with the shaft., bearings at each end of the body for the rotating shaft, tubular supports respectively having one oit' their ends secured to and supporting the cone-shaped guides 'and having their-other ends secured to the body adjacent to the bearings of the shaft, and shielding the ro tating shaft from the Water, diffusion blades arranged at the discharge side of the blades of the rotor or runner and located in the annular passage. l

2. In a machine of the character described, a rotor lor runner formed of a drum, a shroud ring surrounding the drum, a plurality of impelling blades arranged between the drum and shroud ring and curved in the direction of the axis of the drum, and a bracing ring or shroud for'the blades intermediate of the outer shroud ring and the drum and straight in lon 'tudinal' section i saidshroud rings maintaining the flow in a constant substantially straight direction i from one end of the rotor longitudinally to the other end.

3.In a machine of the character described, a tubular body through which fluid may pass said body having a. tapered conic al annular passage 1n the direction of its length intermediate of its inlet and outlet ends, combined with a rotor or runner f' of greatly less length than the length Yof fthe conical annular passage and comprlsing a conical-shaped drum having curved 1mpel ling blades extending radially about it and Y arranged in a 4portion only of the conical annular passage so as to act upon or be acted uponby the Huid, the annular passage through the space traversed by the -blades'of the rotor. or runner being formed in 'tapered desire to secure by Let-A having a drum and stationary Ithrough Which fluidV may pass said body conical shape and with asubstantially constantl cross sectional area throughout its length, and stationary diffusion blades at the discharge side of the blades of the rotor or runner. Y

4. ln a machine of the character described, a tubular body portion having its inner Walls formed with a gradually enlarged diameter and provided with a coneshaped guide Within a portion only of the body of gradually increasing diameter to form an annular conical tapered passageway, combined with a rotating shaft, and a rotor or runner secured to the shaft and portion immediately adjacent to the large end of the conc-shaped guide and said drum formed with a conical circumferential part as a continuation ot' the general taper of the cone-shaped'guide andprovided with a plurality of curved blades, of such form that the annular space occupied by the travel of the blades is taperedA and conical, the larger ends. of the blades being directed toward the tapered passage about the larger end of the cone-shaped support. f

5. In a machine ofv the character described, -a rotor or runner consisting of a drum about which are arranged a plurality of impelling blades curved in the direction 9 point and a plane perpendicular and trans- .versely to the axis of the drum at: that pointdecreases as the radius increases and decreases throughout its length as the point is moved in a direction parallel to the axis ot' the drum and in which the advancing edges of the blades are in substantially radial lines ofthe drum andthe discharging edges are in lines pronouncedly oblique to the radial lines of the drum. f

c 6. In a machine of "the character described, a rotor or runner comprising a drum provided about its periphery \vith a plurality of curved impelling blades and in Which t-he said blades have their angle of curvature'changed throughout their length, said change of curvature being more rapid adjacent to the drum than at the outer portion of the blades, and in which further, the edge of each blade havingvthe' greatest obliquit.)T to a transverse perpendicular plane to the axis of the drum is arranged in a substantially radial line from the aXis of .the drum, and the edge of each blade having the least. Obliquity to a transverse perpendicular plane. to the axis of the drum is arranged obliquely to. av radial line from the axis of thedrum and in a line constituting a chord across the circle` of the drum.

7. In a machine of the character de'- scribed, t-he combination of a tubular body having inlet and outlet ends, combined with a rotor arranged within the tubular body and comprising a conical shaped drum provided with blades the peripheral outer edges ot' annular body of water to the. rotor blades, ,and stationary diffusion blades arranged in the tubular passage immediately adjacent to the discharge side of the conical rotor for which are inclined and with greatest radial l changing the flow of the Huid from a-rotary depth arranged at their forward or intake` ends and their least radial depth at their discharge ends, a conical stationary guide arranged Within the tubular body and with its large end adjacent tothe small end of the conical drum of the rotor to provide an' annular tapered passage for delivering an l g l I l l to an axial flow.

In testimony of which invention, I here unto set my hand.

ALBERT BALDWIN IVitnesses R. D. SULLIVAN, JOHN C. BARTLEY. 

